There’s A Snake In My School

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Miranda loves to be different, and on Bring-your-pet-to-school Day she introduces everyone to her very DIFFERENT pet… Penelope the snake. Miss Bloat the headmistress doesn’t think snakes should be allowed in school. But Penelope has other ideas…

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

Write a new story that has the same title. What might happen if there was a snake in your school?

• Imagine that you could bring your pet to school for the day. What would happen?
• Write a persuasive letter to your teacher / headteacher to ask them to let you bring a pet to school for the day.
• Write a set of instructions to teach people how to look after some of the pets mentioned in the story.
• Make a list of the adjectives that were used to describe the pets. Can you think of any others? Can you make up some alliterative sentences about animals (e.g. the slippery snake slithered around the school)?
• Write a newspaper article about the day a python was discovered at the school.
• Retell the story from Miranda’s (or the snake’s) point of view.
• Write a letter from Miss Bloat to Miranda’s parents about her behaviour.
• Write a persuasive letter from Miranda to Miss Bloat asking her to return everyone’s pets.
• Write a sequel in which Miss Bloat escapes! What happens next?
• Write a review of this book, or record a video review. Here is an example:

Science

• Find out more about snakes and write a non-chronological report about them.
• Create a key to help people identify different types of snakes.
• A snake’s colouring can camouflage it from predators. What other animals use camouflage to protect themselves?

Computing

• Look at the use of different fonts and the arrangement of text on the pages. Can you use similar techniques in your own documents?
• Create a website or multimedia presentation to promote Mr. Bright’s amazing school where animals are welcome.
• Record a video retelling of the story.

Art

• Create your own illustrations of pythons (and other animals).
• Make a comic strip that retells the story.

Geography

• Create a map that shows the natural habitats of the animals mentioned in the story.

Languages

• Can you find out the word for ‘snake’ in other languages?

PSHE

• ‘Miranda loved being different.’ How are you similar / different to others? Is it good to be different?